As the end of the Second World War approaches and the Soviet Red Army is advancing, a group of concentration camp inmates is helped to escape by a Polish doctor. They hide in a wood where they meet other fugitives, who have been there for months, constantly in fear of being discovered. Out of fear of the German army patrols, they do not dare to leave the forest, even as the food supplies run low.

The drama is set in a future where remote-controlled rockets orbit planets, and automated vehicles land on the moon, but humans haven’t ventured beyond. The Soviet Union announces a manned moon mission, prompting the US to rush its own mission to maintain its image. Three Americans are chosen for this dangerous task. The story suggests that international cooperation in space travel is essential and beneficial, but only possible if the Cold War ends.